1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dock and structural pilings. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for preventing piling uplift caused by frost heaving or shifting, or rising frozen tide waters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,002 relates to a permanent pier piling for use in docks and the like in a body of water whereby an antifreeze solution within the piling circulates to distribute latent ground heat from the lower portion of the piling to the upper portion of the piling to maintain a fluid interface between the piling and the ice during the winter season.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,083 relating to an ice guard for protecting a vertically extending piling positioned in a body of water from damage due to changes in water and ice levels. The ice guard is concentrically positioned around a piling and extends above the surface of the body of water. The ice guard is held in place by the surrounding ice. The ice guard includes at least one longitudinally extending sleeve which is made of a buoyant material and a means for restricting vertical movement of at least a portion of the sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,148 relates to a covering applied on the outer surface of a pile including a steel pipe or the like to surround a predetermined length thereof so as to reduce frost heaving force or negative friction acting on the pile in a frigid area. The covering is closely adhered by an adhesion layer to the pile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,681 relates to a frost damage proofed pile for installment in a frigid district where the pile is subjected to a freezing and frost heaving force, such as permanently or seasonally frozen soil terrain. A tubular sheath member is fitted over the pile surface and has a length longer than the thickness of an active or seasonally frozen soil layer of the terrain in which the pile is installed. At least a portion of the length of the pile is formed as an extensible section, and at least the lower end of the sheath member is secured to the pile at or below a position corresponding to the bottom region of the active or seasonally frozen soil layer. A fluid material is filled in a space defined between the pile and the sheath member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,683 relates to a sleeve adapted to float in water to surround a piling to protect the same from being lifted by ice. It includes an outer corrugated casing which can be easily gripped by ice forming therearound. Within the casing is a layer of waterproof cementitious material followed by a layer of closed cell foam plastic. Should ice form in the annular space between the piling and the sleeve, the sleeve can easily slide up or down across the outer surface of the ice without moving the piling.
The prior art devices generally provide a mechanism that is capable of sliding up and down the piling or ice with the shifting tides or frost lines. However, with the increasingly colder winters in, the temperatures are so low below freezing that the water around the piling freezes. This freezing of the water adjacent the piling defeats the purpose of the prior art devices and causes the piling to lift, along with prior art piling anti-lift devices. Thus, a need exists for a new alternative to the prior art devices.